Nick Dunlap Just Matched an Amazing Tiger Woods Record With U.S. Amateur Victory

Nick Dunlap hoisted the Havemeyer Trophy on Sunday at Cherry Hills Country Club, but that’s not the only reason his name will be cemented into golfing history. 

The 19-year-old can add a U.S. Amateur championship to his resume, but he can also say he just became the only player to join Tiger Woods in an extremely special category. 

“I can’t explain it, I’m at a loss for words,” Dunlap said on the 18th green.

In the 36-hole championship match, the University of Alabama sophomore defeated Neal Shipley 4 and 3 after being tied through 18 holes. But Dunlap’s victory wasn’t his first USGA championship title. The 19-year-old won the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Country Club of North Carolina in 2021.

Capturing that esteemed pair is the rarest of feats: Woods is the only other player to win both USGA titles. 

Woods won three U.S. Junior Amateurs and three U.S. Amateurs consecutively, and the slew of victories is widely known as one of his most astonishing career accomplishments.

Now, Dunlap—in his own words—is a fraction of the way there.

“I think it’s only a third of what he’s done,” Dunlap said to Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine during the trophy ceremony. “But just to be in the same conversation as Tiger is a dream come true and it’s something that I’ve worked my entire life for. It’s the hours and hours that nobody sees to try to get to this point and even have a chance to win this trophy. Man, it’s unbelievable. I can’t put it into words.”

Dunlap and Shipley traded blows during the first 18 holes of the championship match, making a total of 12 birdies between the two of them.

But after halving the first two holes of the second 18, Dunlap took control, birdieing the 21st and 22nd holes to go 2 up. Dunlap didn’t lose another hole until the 31st, but he quickly regained position on the penultimate hole of the match, which he won with a bogey. 

“Nick played phenomenal,” the Ohio State University graduate student said. “He was going to be hard to beat today regardless of who was playing him.”

Dunlap’s U.S. Amateur victory wasn’t so smooth from the beginning, though. 

The soon-to-be Walker Cup team member birdied his opening hole during stroke play, but then proceeded to make a triple bogey after mistakenly hitting the wrong ball from the tall grass. 

He followed the blunder with double bogey and another bogey to reach 5 over par within his first seven holes. 

But Dunlap was determined to rally, and he points to his caddie and mentor, Jeff Curl, for inspiring the charge. Dunlap collected himself and finished with rounds of 72 and 71 to snag the No. 41 seed. 

“I want to thank Jeff, wherever he is. I was 5 over par through seven holes. And honestly—I’m sorry—without him, there’s no chance I’d be standing here,” Dunlap said, his voice beginning to crack.

When Dunlap’s winning moment finally came on Cherry Hills’s 15th hole, he was not only embraced by Curl, but by several of his University of Alabama teammates who were just as emotional their friend.

The crew of college golfers woke up at 3:15 a.m. to travel to Colorado and watch Dunlap attempt to make history. 

“My boys, right over there, they got up at 3:15 this morning to come watch me play,” Dunlap said.

“I think we’re going to have a little bit of fun with this,” he continued, glancing down at his new piece of hardware with a well-deserved smile spreading across his face.